Sarasota County Schools highlights second year of "CEOs in Schools" to deepen business-school partnerships

Chris Parenteau, host of the Sarasota County Schools InTune podcast, opened the program's episode from Laurel Oak Country Club and introduced the district's "CEOs in Schools" initiative as it begins its second year.

Dr. Harriet Moore, director of strategic engagement for Sarasota County Schools, said the idea came from Superintendent Connor and that district staff consulted Hillsborough County's established program to learn best practices and avoid pitfalls. "The goal is really to bridge those gaps with our education and our business leaders and our business community so that we can really look at how we can impact student success," Moore said.

Moore and the guests framed principals as the "CEOs" of their schools and described the program as a deliberate effort to create thought partnerships between school and business leaders. "Everyone's not gonna necessarily go to college, but there may be some other areas that they can learn from and build from entrepreneurship," Moore said, arguing that business leaders and principals share similar responsibilities around vision, culture and long-term planning.

Jamie Cahn, local market executive for Bank of America, said visiting schools underscored differences in culture across campuses and gave businesses a window into classroom realities and emerging topics such as artificial intelligence. "We, as business community, need to go to the schools and see what's happening," Cahn said, praising student engagement and the program's potential to fill workforce development gaps.

Ryan Chase, principal of Sarasota High School, described concrete ties between local employers and students, citing Geckos Hospitality Group as an example of a business that employs current students and alumni and connects to career and technical education programs. Chase noted that students can earn industry credentials such as ServSafe that may count for school credit and improve job prospects.

Reflecting on the first year, Moore said initial curiosity from both CEOs and principals evolved into substantive partnerships, with participants returning for year 2 and proposing concrete ideas to try in classrooms. "The room was abuzz, with people talking and connecting," she said of the kickoff breakfast.

Moore invited other CEOs and community volunteers to get involved through the district's strategic engagement and volunteer office, providing an email (harriet.moore@sarasotacountyschools.net) and the district phone number (941-927-9000, ext. 31154). Parenteau also thanked partnering organizations, including the Education Foundation of Sarasota County and several local chambers of commerce, and pointed listeners to the November InTouch community newsletter for more information.

The podcast episode focused on describing the program, early benefits for students and staff, and how local employers can volunteer; it did not record any formal board actions or votes on the program. For those interested in volunteering or learning more, the district provided Moore's contact information and public materials via its newsletter.